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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24107278">Tell Me And I'll Forget</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariuspunmercy/pseuds/mariuspunmercy'>mariuspunmercy</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>She-Ra Week [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Catra (She-Ra) Redemption, F/F, First Kiss, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Memory Alteration, POV Adora (She-Ra), Past Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Shadow Weaver | Light Spinner (She-Ra)'s A+ Parenting</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-03 00:40:34</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,272</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24107278</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariuspunmercy/pseuds/mariuspunmercy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Adora needs to get to the memories Shadow Weaver erased during her time at the Horde. She and Catra infiltrate the Fright Zone but well... </p><p>They did have a thing for digging up painful moments. </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Day 2 of She-Ra Week</p><p>Prompt: the horde / MEMORY</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora/Catra (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>She-Ra Week [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1904770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>79</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Tell Me And I'll Forget</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Adora ran with Catra beside her.  </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They didn’t have much time, and they were determined to get those memories from the Fright Zone before Horde Prime did. They were vital. They had to get them quick. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>No one, except Shadow Weaver (who had been killed), knew where Adora had truly come from. They all know about the portal that brought her here, but there was no name for that planet. Light Hope never told her, and they had disabled the robot anyways. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They needed to know for two reasons. One, being that Horde Prime also needed the information because apparently that planet has massive energy stored in the core that could be used as a weapon, and they weren’t going to let him use it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Two, it was a personal mission. Catra met the magicats, Glimmer reunited with her dad, and Mermista took her kingdom back. It seemed like everyone was finding a bit of their past selves. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, everyone but Adora.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wasn’t mad, though. She loved her friends, and she wanted nothing more than for them to be happy. But she was just so </span>
  <em>
    <span>desperate </span>
  </em>
  <span>to find something that she could claim as her own as well. Catra had noticed, and been the one to volunteer to infiltrate the Fright Zone until they found where Shadow Weaver kept her stolen memories. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>While they snuck around, hallway to hallway, dodging Horde Soldiers at every corner, Adora turned to Catra. “How many times has my memory been erased?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra bowed her head. “Too many. I couldn’t stop it. That’s why the one time I had the power to, I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She remembered Catra giving her the sword back. She had claimed at the time it was because she didn’t want Adora to come back. But now it appears to be about protecting her. Her stomach fluttered, but she ignored it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Force Captain Octavia and her squadron started coming down their hallway, so they ducked behind one of Entrapta’s old potted plants. “You have your orders,” Octavia barked to her men. “Former Horde officer Catra has been marked for execution by order seventy-two, issued by Horde Prime. You see her, you shoot on sight. Any soldier who doesn’t obey will be executed for treason. She’s somewhere in the Fright Zone with the princess. You kill Catra, and capture She-Ra. Fan out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra wasn’t surprised about the order. But Adora looked at her, worried. “Why are they killing you but not me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Horde Prime can take your memories for himself. You may not remember anything, but he has a device on his ship that may be able to extract it. It’s not reliable, so he’s still searching for the memory. He showed it to me on board. Adora, it’s dangerous. You can’t get captured.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>She </span>
  </em>
  <span>couldn’t get captured? Everyone in the Fright Zone had one job, and that was to kill her. But she was worried about Adora getting captured? They could both hold their own, but neither could go against the entire army. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do we get past Octavia’s men?” Adora asked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll cause a distraction,” Catra stated.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you’re not. You can’t go against everyone, not when they have orders to kill you on sight. We’re either breaking into Hordak’s sanctum together, or I get captured with you. I’m not arguing with you about this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra considered for a moment. “Fine. We’ll make them think I’m in the command room, and we’ll sneak past.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How do we do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hold up, I’m thinking.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora let her think, racking her brain for a solution. For one, if they left the safety of their potted plant, they wouldn’t survive. They just got Catra and Glimmer off of Horde Prime’s ship. They were not going to be sent back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>One more hallway. They had one more hallway before they made it to Hordak’s sanctum. They’d find the shelf of memories Shadow Weaver stole from her, be in and out, and report back to Bright Moon. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But before they needed a real plan, Octavia’s badge started beeping. “Where are you? The Salineas girl has been attacking from the front and the front line needs help!” Horde Prime’s voice rang.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re on it,” Octavia responded. “Two stay guard. You let me know if you see the princess, and I want Catra’s head if she comes by here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>If they wanted to actually catch them, they were going to need way more than two guards. Octavia led her squadron away, two men staying behind to guard the hallway. Really, how dumb did you have to be to leave the very important hallway practically unguarded?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora glanced at Catra, and they nodded at each other before moving in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guards were facing them, so they couldn’t exactly be sneaky. But before they could even press their coms, Catra and Adora were able to punch them in sync, both guards falling to the floor unconscious. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, now that’s solved,” Catra concluded. They grabbed hands, running to Hordak’s sanctum. There weren’t any guards, which was suspicious. But if they were in the middle of their rounds or something, they were going to have to be quick. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They ran to one of the back corners of the room, searching for the hidden lever that would reveal the shelves filled with her memories. Memories from her time with the Horde that were stolen from her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Found it!” Catra yelled, pulling a candlestick forward to reveal the lever. The shelf came out from the floor, glass balls lined against it. She touched one, and a shadow of her and Catra on the roof of the cadet’s building was displayed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She grabbed the glass sphere, holding it out for Catra to see. “Do you remember this?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course she did. But Catra’s eyes widened, reaching for the sphere. “Put that back. Look for the one we need.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora clutched it to her chest. “Wait, no. These are all </span>
  <em>
    <span>my </span>
  </em>
  <span>memories. I want to bring them back to Bright Moon.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Not that one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Catra, I-” When Catra made another reach for it, she accidentally knocked it out of Adora’s arms, and the ball fell to the ground with a crash. She closed her eyes, expecting a huge explosion or something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When she opened them, she was on the roof with the sunset. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Adora,” Catra said as she hopped onto the roof. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora rolled her eyes. “How did you find me?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You think I </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>have a homing beacon on you? Just kidding. Lonnie said you were up here. I know training was a little rough today, but it’s no reason to get all pouty about it. We can go make fun of the younger cadets, if it makes you feel better.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It didn't, but she appreciated the effort. Her lack of response was enough for Catra to get the hint that something was wrong. "What's up? You're </span>
  <em>
    <span>never </span>
  </em>
  <span>this mopey."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I fell down the hole," Adora stated. "I wasn't quick enough with my attack, and Rogelio knocked me into the hole. I wasn't even quick enough to hold on with my pole."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why is it bugging you so much? It's not that big a deal."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But to her, it was. She's never failed when it comes to training. She couldn’t explain what was bothering her about it. She just knew she didn’t like this feeling. “I know it’s not. But what if we make a mistake like that out on the field? Then what happens?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We know plenty of people that have made worse mistakes. Remember when the mission to claim Thaymor went wrong? They’ve been trying to take it for a year, and I bet two years from now they </span>
  <em>
    <span>still </span>
  </em>
  <span>won’t have it.. Don’t sweat it, everyone makes mistakes.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shadow Weaver said she wasn’t supposed to make mistakes. That because everyone expects the best of her, no one can see when she fails. It scared her to think that one day, she’d be leading people into battle, following her orders. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wanna know something really neat?” Catra whispered, sitting on the railing next to her. “I think you’re a dork.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora shoved her back onto the platform, a yelp of pain escaping her lips. “What? I thought cats were always supposed to land on their feet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“This one doesn’t! You know what? I’m leaving.” Catra spun on her heel, prepared to march away from the rooftop. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora rolled her eyes, grabbing her wrist. “Wait, don’t go. It’s too cold for me to stay up here alone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That doesn’t even make sense! So why’d you come up here without telling me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I dunno, I was upset!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra strolled back over to her, leaning against the rail. “Adora, you are the biggest dork that I know. It amazes me that Shadow Weaver sees something in you when I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>obviously </span>
  </em>
  <span>the more suitable choice. I can climb walls and… stuff.” Her tail curled around Adora’s wrist as she spoke, tightening its grip with every word. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You are a </span>
  <em>
    <span>mess.” </span>
  </em>
  <span>Adora tried to unwrap Catra’s tail from her hand, as she usually does. It happens pretty often, believe it or not. Most of the time, she unknowingly did it while they were sleeping, but they were awake and conscious this time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But the tail didn’t unlatch itself from her wrist. Instead, Catra made a purring noise. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They both froze, neither knowing what to do. Sure, Catra’s purred around her before, but it was always in a sarcastic manner. She’d do it to prove a point, or to make fun of someone. It’s never been done with just them two alone, and never in a serious manner. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, this was not how I expected this to go,” Catra mumbled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, me neither.” Adora didn’t let go of the tail this time. She pulled Catra closer, swinging her legs onto the other side of the railing. There was something different about the air surrounding them, and it wasn’t the toxins the building gave off. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra closed the space between them, enclosing her lips on Adora’s. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora gasped into Catra’s lips, shutting her eyes. She let go of the tail to bring her hands up to Catra’s face, the other girl cupping her neck. Only when they couldn’t breathe again did Adora pull away, only taking a second before leaning in again, recapturing Catra in the moment. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can’t believe we’ve never done this before,” Adora mumbled the second time she came back up for air. It was a fire that she wanted to stick her hand into, or water that she could breathe in. Something that was wrong because personal attachment is basically forbidden in the Horde, but she couldn’t stop herself from doing it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra didn’t respond until the third time, her hand slipping underneath her red jacket. “I can’t believe this is really happening.”  She tugged her off the rail, landing in a heap on the platform. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora landed on top, their noses inches away. She went back in, her hands making circles on Catra’s waist, but a loud shriek forced them apart. Adora straightened her jacket, standing to see where the noise came from as Catra stayed put on the floor. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shadow Weaver was standing at the foot of the building, her hands on her hips. “Adora, get down here!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra grasped her hand. “Don’t forget. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Please </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t forget this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was confused. “I don’t know what you mean.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever you do, don’t forget this. Don’t let her scare you. We’re gonna rule Etheria together, remember? We’ll call the shots one day but we gotta get through this. Just please, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please </span>
  </em>
  <span>don’t forget this. Do whatever it takes to remember. Now, </span>
  <em>
    <span>go.” </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>She made her way back down the building, the grappling hook she used on her way up assisting her. She was in bewilderment, and she ran her fingers along her lips. She’s sure her cheeks were on fire and her jacket may still be a mess, but she walked with Shadow Weaver, turning back to glance at Catra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t let her destroy everything you’ve worked for,” Shadow Weaver said. “C’mon, my dear. We’re going to make sure you’re good as new tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her vision got blurry around the edges, and Adora opened her eyes with a gasp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was suddenly back in Hordak’s sanctum, Catra standing next to her with tears in her eyes. “That was our first kiss..” She mumbled, wiping her wet cheeks. “You didn’t remember the next day. I wish she erased my memory too. Then I wouldn’t be the one stuck with all these moments you don’t even remember.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora stared at the broken glass on the floor. She crouched, flipping over the pieces for any trace of the kiss. She didn’t even </span>
  <em>
    <span>know </span>
  </em>
  <span>she had kissed Catra back in the Fright Zone. Shadow Weaver had stolen this from her. Had stolen what could’ve potentially been something amazing, instead of three years of heartbreak and fighting on different sides of a war.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll make new ones,” Adora whispered, smiling to herself as she tattooed the feeling of Catra’s lips against hers. “When this is all over, we’ll make new ones.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She let her hand ghost over Catra’s cheek, just like in the memory. Then, she grabbed every single glass sphere and put them into her backpack, interested in remaking the ones taken from her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora glanced at Catra again. She’d been angry with the girl for clutching onto their time with the Horde, but when it came down to all the stuff she knew and Adora didn’t, she could see things from a different point of view. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe just this once, she’d take a trip down memory lane too. </span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Okay I actually liked the way this came out but I had zero clue how to end it. Like I wrote everything I needed to and tossed around the last 2 paragraphs for like 15 minutes because I couldn't come up with anything. </p><p>So I hope the ending makes sense lol </p><p>Also idk if I made it clear but like they've been touchy feely with each other before and shadow weaver always erased Adora's memory, but they've never actually kissed until the memory </p><p>Tumblr: adoraang</p></blockquote></div></div>
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